Peace in Ukraine Campaign

Peace in Ukraine Campaign

An 8 month MAPA wide campaign (May through December 2023) to call for ceasefire and negotiations to end the Ukraine war.

Goal: mobilize available MAPA resources for an all out effort to give visibility and organization to what may be a growing sentiment in the U.S. in favor of negotiations.

Caution: This focus on negotiations will have to be changed due to dramatic developments that change the present trajectory in the war. E.g., direct U.S. participation in the war, growing danger of nuclear war, growing pro-war sentiment in the U.S., etc

Components:

• organizing committee will be the present Ukraine Committee, expanded by whatever other board, working group or strategy committee members willing to make a commitment.
• biweekly rallies/tabling for visibility and postcard writing to all members of the Congressional delegation or just to senators Markey and Warren
• Daily blitz on all social media platforms carried out by a designated social media team
• monthly contact with each mass. congressman, either meeting, zoom or rally (need designated legislative team)
• monthly webinars and articles on the roots of the Ukraine war to increase understanding of why Russia invaded
• Letters to the Editor campaign responding to key news articles or official pronouncements. (carried out by LTE team)
• developing a stable of potential op ed writers with expertise on Ukraine and NATO (carried out by LTE team)
• If appropriate and possible, conduct nonviolent civil disobedience at targets responsible for initiating and continuing the war (war contractors, state department, Pentagon, etc.)
• When the time is right use our involvement in the Peace in Ukraine national coalition to promote:

1. 1. A New York or DC national demonstration for negotiations in October
   2. Immediately, A National Peoples Petition used by all groups to pressure Russia, Ukraine, the U.S. and NATO to agree to ceasefire and negotiation

Logistics:

• Transform the Ukraine working group into the organizing committee for the campaign (open to all)
• Start off carefully to assess what MAPA resources we can realistically bring to the Campaign
• Establish western Mass. and Central Mass. connections so as to eventually run the campaign state wide.
• Each working group considers what it might bring to this campaign. e.g.:

1. 1. The Raytheon campaign will highlight the role of war contractors in profiting from the war; in making U.S. policy to keep the war going; in direct participation in the war; in organizing the expansion of NATO over the past 25 year
   2. Fund healthcare not warfare can focus on the domestic cost of diverting billions and billions to the war
   3. Peace and Climate can focus on the impact of the war on climate (pushing climate off the agenda; preventing negotiation among polluting countries, diverting resources needed for the climate fight, etc.)